Golf bag with access port for facilitating repairs

ABSTRACT

A golf bag includes a body that defines a generally tubular compartment for containing golf clubs. A throat structure defines an open top end of the compartment, and a bottom assembly defines a closed bottom end of the compartment. An elongated stay is located inside the body. The stay has an upper end engaged with the throat structure and a lower end disposed in a pocket formed between the bottom assembly and the body. An openable and closable access port is located in the body between the throat structure and the bottom assembly to provide access through the body to the compartment, the stay and the pocket. In the preferred embodiment, the access port is comprised of a zipper closure extending longitudinally in the body. The access port is opened by opening the zipper closure and closed by closing the zipper closure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to golf equipment and, in particular,to a golf bag with an access port for facilitating repairs.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,919 to Gary E. Keller discloses a golf bag having abody with an open top end defined by a throat structure and a closedbottom end defined by a bottom assembly. An elongated stay or strut islocated inside the body. An upper end of the stay extends into thethroat structure and is held therein by a retainer clip. A lower end ofthe stay is received in a pocket formed between the bottom assembly andthe body. The stay extends through a sleeve which is sewn inside thebody. Once the golf bag is assembled, the stay may be removed andreplaced by removing the retainer clip but the pocket and the sleeve arenot accessible without disassembling the golf bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a golf bag including a body defining agenerally tubular compartment for containing golf clubs. The compartmenthas an open top end and a closed bottom end. A throat structure definesthe open top end of the compartment, and a bottom assembly defines theclosed bottom end of the compartment. An elongated stay is located in alongitudinal position inside the body. The stay has an upper end engagedwith the throat structure and a lower end disposed in a pocket formedbetween the bottom assembly and the body. An openable and closableaccess port is located in the body between the throat structure and thebottom assembly for providing access through the body to thecompartment, the stay and the pocket. The access port may comprise azipper closure that extends longitudinally in the body. The access portis opened by opening the zipper closure and closed by closing the zipperclosure. The golf bag may include a sleeve inside the body through whichthe stay extends, and the access port will also provide access to thesleeve.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf bag incorporating the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the line 2-2 inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing portions of the golf bagand a retainer clip removed therefrom;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the golf bag; and

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the retainer clip shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a golf bag which includes thepresent invention and is indicated generally by the reference numeral10. The golf bag 10 includes a bottom assembly 12, such as disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. D372,362 to L. J. Bryant et al, which is typically acup-shaped structure formed of a suitable synthetic resin, and a body 14preferably formed of a suitable fabric. The body 14 defines a generallytubular compartment 15 for containing golf clubs, and the bottomassembly 12 defines a closed bottom end of the compartment 15. The body14 has a longitudinal spine 16 at one side thereof, and an open top endof the compartment 15 is defined by a throat structure 18 such asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,328 to J. A. Solheim. The spine 16extends between the open top end and the closed bottom end of thecompartment 15. The golf bag 10 also includes a shoulder strap 20, ahandle 21, and storage pockets 22 and 24.

As seen best in FIGS. 3 and 4, the throat structure 18 has an opening 26defined by an outer wall 28, an inner wall 30 and a spaced apart pair ofside walls 32 and 34. The opening 26 extends longitudinally through thethroat structure 18 so as to extend upwardly through a top surface 36thereof and downwardly into the tubular body 14. A ledge 38 extends fromthe outer wall 28 into the opening 26 to divide the opening 26 into anopen portion 40 and a laterally disposed offset portion 42 which liesbelow the ledge 38. The ledge 38 closes the upper end of the offsetportion 42 of the opening 26 and is located a short distance below thetop surface 36 of the throat structure 18 to provide a recessed seat 44at the top end of the opening 26. As seen best in FIG. 4, the throatstructure 18 is also provided with a pair of grooves 46 and 48 eachformed in a different one of the opposed pair of side walls 32 and 34with these grooves 46, 48 being disposed to face inwardly into theopening 26. The grooves 46 and 48 extend downwardly from the recessedseat 44 to the bottom end of the opening 26.

As seen in FIG. 2, an elongated stay or strut 50 is located in alongitudinal position inside the body 14 substantially parallel to thespine 16 with a lower end 52 of the stay 50 received in a pocket 54which is formed between the bottom assembly 12 and the body 14. An upperend 58 of the stay 50 extends into the opening 26 in the throatstructure 18. Alternatively, the pocket 54 could be of any suitableconfiguration such as a socket (not shown) molded in the bottom assembly12. U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,235 to J. A. Solheim et al discloses a golf bagwith a rigidfying strut that is similar to the stay 50. The stay 50 ispreferably of generally rectangular cross-section and is preferablyformed of fiberglass. It will be appreciated that other materials suchas graphite may be used to make the stay 50 so long as the selectedmaterial is relatively flexible and is strong enough to withstand thenormal wear and tear to which golf bags are subjected.

The stay 50 extends upwardly from the pocket 54 and passes through afabric sleeve 56 which is sewn inside the body 14. The upper end 58 ofthe stay 50 is disposed within the laterally offset portion 42 of theopening 26 in abutting engagement with the ledge 38 which preventslongitudinal movement of the stay 50. Lateral movement of the stay upperend 58 from the offset portion 42 into the open portion 40 of theopening 26 is prevented when a retainer clip 60 is removably mounted inthe opening 26.

The retainer clip 60, as seen best in FIGS. 3 and 5, includes an upperpedestal 62 of generally rectangular configuration which is shaped tofit in the recessed seat 44 with the pedestal 62 in seated engagementwith the ledge 38 when the retainer clip 60 is positioned within theopening 26. A fixed leg 64 and a spring leg 66 depend in spaced apartrelationship from the pedestal 62. The fixed leg 64 has opposite sideedges 68 and 70 slidably disposed within the grooves 46 and 48 formed inthe throat structure 18. The spring leg 66 of the retainer clip 60 has anarrower width dimension than the fixed leg 64 so that it will bedisposed in a space between the side walls 32 and 34 in which thegrooves 46 and 48 are formed and will be free to move in that space. Thespring leg 66 of the retainer clip 60 will be in a relaxed state so thatit will depend from the pedestal 62 at a diverging angle with respect tothe fixed leg 64 when the retainer clip 60 is removed from the opening26 as shown in FIG. 3. The spring leg 66 is moved to an inwardlydeflected position by a cam member 72 formed at the depending end of thespring leg 66 which moves into bearing engagement with the inner wall 30of the throat structure 18 when the retainer clip 60 is pusheddownwardly into the opening 26. When the retainer clip 60 reaches afully inserted position as shown in FIG. 2, the cam member 72 is engagedin a notch or slot 74 formed at the lower end of the inner wall 30 as aresult of the spring action of the leg 66. When the cam member 72 movesinto the slot 74, it will latch the retainer clip 60 in a latchedposition within the opening 26 of the throat structure 18.

The opening 26 in the throat structure 18, the sleeve 56 and the pocket54 are in longitudinal alignment with each other and are preferablydisposed proximate the spine 16 of the body 14. Therefore, with theretainer clip 60 removed from the opening 26, insertion of the stay 50is accomplished by sliding it downwardly through the open portion 40 ofthe opening 26 and through the sleeve 56 so that the lower end 52 of thestay 50 enters the pocket 54. The upper end 58 of the stay 50 is movedmanually from the open portion 40 of the opening 26 into the offsetportion 42 thereof prior to insertion of the retainer clip 60.Subsequent insertion of the retainer clip 60 into the opening 26, asdescribed above, will position the fixed leg 64 in engagement with theupper end 58 of the stay 50 and retain the upper end 58 of the stay 50in the offset portion 42 of the opening 26.

Should it be necessary or desirable to remove the stay 50, the cammember 72, which protrudes through the slot 74 when the retainer clip 60is in the latched position, may be pushed toward the outer wall 28 ofthe opening 26 by hand or by using a suitable tool (not shown) such as agolf tee. This will unlatch the retainer clip 60 for removal from theopening 26. The upper end 58 of the stay 50 may then be moved manuallyfrom the offset portion 42 into the open portion 40 of the opening 26and is thus released for upward movement to remove it.

According to the, present invention, a zipper closure 80 is located inthe body 14 extending longitudinally thereof adjacent the pocket 22 asshown in FIG. 1. The zipper closure 80 forms an openable and closableaccess port 82 located in the body 14 between the throat structure 18and the bottom assembly 12. The access port 82 is opened by opening thezipper closure 80, and the access port 82 is closed by closing thezipper closure 80. When the access port 82 is opened, it provides accessto the compartment 15, the stay 50, the pocket 54 and the sleeve 56 inorder to facilitate repairs. The access port 82 may also be used inretrieving small articles that inadvertently fall into the compartment15 through the throat structure 18.

The access port 82 is also useful while the golf bag 10 is beingmanufactured. During assembly of the golf bag 10, the body 14 is sewnwith the pockets 22, 24 on the inside and then the body 14 is turnedinside-out through the access port 82. This positions the pockets 22, 24on the outside of the body 14. Finally, the zipper closure 80 is closedthereby closing the access port 82. In prior golf bag manufacturing, thezipper closure 80 was replaced by an open slot that was permanently sewnshut once the body was turned inside-out.

1. A golf bag comprising: a body defining a generally tubularcompartment for containing golf clubs, said compartment having an opentop end and a closed bottom end; a throat structure defining the opentop end of said compartment; a bottom assembly defining the closedbottom end of said compartment; an elongated stay located in alongitudinal position inside said body, said stay having an upper endengaged with said throat structure and a lower end disposed in a pocketformed between said bottom assembly and said body; and an openable andclosable access port located in said body between said throat structureand said bottom assembly for providing access through said body to saidcompartment, said stay and said pocket.
 2. The golf bag of claim 1,wherein said openable and closable access port comprises a zipperclosure extending longitudinally in said body.
 3. The golf bag of claim2, wherein said access port is opened by opening said zipper closure andclosed by closing said zipper closure.
 4. The golf bag of claim 1,further comprising a sleeve inside said body through which said stayextends and wherein said access port also provides access through saidbody to said sleeve.
 5. The golf bag of claim 1, wherein said body has aspine extending between the open top end and the closed bottom end ofsaid compartment, and wherein said stay is arranged substantiallyparallel to said spine.
 6. The golf bag of 1, further comprising: saidbody having a spine extending between the open top end and the closedbottom end of said compartment; a sleeve inside said body through whichsaid stay extends; and said sleeve and said pocket being aligned so thatsaid stay is arranged substantially parallel to said spine when it isdisposed in said sleeve and said pocket.